1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system and an image forming method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, directory services such as Active Directory and e-Directory have been introduced in order to manage users and devices in a networked system. Some image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and multifunction peripherals (MFPs) have a network function, which causes management of users and groups to be performed by such directory service. To manage the users by the directory service, a directory server device performs a user authentication for a user who has logged in to the image forming apparatus.
Further, authorization processing is performed on the image forming apparatus, which allows use of only a function (among various functions) permitted to a logged-in user who has succeeded in the user authentication. In the authorization processing, authorization information specifying a function that is permitted or prohibited for use has been previously set on the image forming apparatus for each user, and limitations are imposed on some functions to be used by the logged-in user, according to the authorization information. In addition, one known image forming system provides the image forming apparatus with the authorization information on the logged-in user who has succeeded in the user authentication, by using an intermediate server device that includes authorization information on each user.
In addition, one authentication method for the logged-in user includes inputting a user ID and a password as text via an operation panel of the image forming apparatus. In another method, a card reader is built into or connected to the image forming apparatus and the user presents an ID card to the card reader to log in to the image forming apparatus. Yet another method is based on a presented ID card and an input password.
When the card reader is built into or connected to the image forming apparatus, a driver that processes read data corresponding to an output data format of the card reader is built into the image forming apparatus. Therefore, when the card reader is exchanged or a new card reader is connected to the image forming apparatus, the model of the card reader to be replaced or connected is limited to one compatible with the output data format.
In this case, a method involving updating the driver corresponding to the card reader is available, but a system to which a large number of image forming apparatuses are connected needs to have the driver updated for each of the image forming apparatuses, which is inefficient. In addition, in the case of performing a user authentication on the directory server device, when a data format of the user ID received from the card reader differs from a format compatible with the directory server device, it is necessary to convert the data format, and it is therefore necessary to update the driver for each of the image forming apparatuses, which is inefficient.
Meanwhile, on the image forming apparatus, setting data that specifies the authentication method that can be used by permitted users among a plurality of authentication methods is set. Therefore, by changing a value of the setting data within the image forming apparatus, it is possible to change the user authentication method that can be used by the user. However, in order to unify the authentication methods on the large number of image forming apparatuses, it is necessary to change the setting data for each of the large number of image forming apparatuses, which is inefficient.